Five of the thirteen most dangerous railroad crossings are in the Phoenix area, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
The crossings with the first, second, and fifth most incidents in the nation over the past ten years are in Phoenix, those ranked third and twelfth are in Glendale.
The Arizona crossings and the number of incidents and injuries at each one include:
· West Thomas Road, just east of North 27th Avenues, Phoenix; 24 incidents, 2 injuries.
· North 35th Avenue, just south of U.S. 60 and West Indian School Road, Phoenix; 21 incidents, 4 injuries.
· North 43rd Avenue, just south of U.S. 60, Glendale; 19 incidents, 3 injuries.
· North 27th Avenue, just north of West Thomas Road, Phoenix; 15 incidents, 4 injuries.
· 5100 block of West Bethany Home Road, Glendale; 10 incidents, 1 injury.
The events included trains hitting vehicles, vehicles hitting trains and vice versa and pedestrians being hit crossing tracks. There were no fatalities.
The top three crossings had more than 30,000 vehicles cross each day. Heavy traffic and the lack of crossing gates at two intersections create dangerous situations, because vehicles may be left trapped on the railroad crossing when trains arrive.
Regarding improving safety at crossings, Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox said that “[k]nowing where repeat injuries and fatalities occur helps states focus their times and resources on areas where they can have impact.”